Hi, This is my first full season in business. I started last year around june with five customers. I currently have over twenty - five bi - weekly customers. All of them have lots that are around 10000 sq. ft. I charge each one of them $30 per cut $60 bi - weekly. Next season i want to go up in price by $5 on the per cut but i want to convert them over to a yrly contract for more income. In my local area of Ft. Myers Fl. i figure i can get 28 cuts out of the season. Example $35 x 26 cuts = $910 divide that by 12 months comes out to be $75.84 a month. I will give them 2 free cuts for signing a yr contract. Open for any suggestions if that's not a fair deal to offer

Steve

11-18-2011, 01:41 PM

I charge each one of them $30 per cut $60 bi - weekly. Next season i want to go up in price by $5 on the per cut but i want to convert them over to a yrly contract for more income.

So are you looking to get your bi-weekly customers to switch to weekly or how do you feel the yearly contract will help you in this situation. I am trying to follow along here with your plan.

op25ttfd

11-18-2011, 04:40 PM

I do my yearly cuts at a 39 cuts estimate and every 2 weeks during the winter I stop by and do some clean up trimming or bush trim work. I give a 20% discount off per cut rate if they sign up for a yearly contract.

irvinjr

11-19-2011, 01:15 PM

So are you looking to get your bi-weekly customers to switch to weekly or how do you feel the yearly contract will help you in this situation. I am trying to follow along here with your plan.

Yes i am, It would bring in more income i think. Plus i'm adding PayPal so i can email invoice all my current customers in the future

CHEESE2009

11-19-2011, 03:21 PM

Yes i am, It would bring in more income i think. Plus i'm adding PayPal so i can email invoice all my current customers in the future

PayPal will swallow your money. It's only good if the majority of your clients will be using it.

If you have to run around collecting money and are also using PayPal for a few clients, it becomes more of a hassle.

I suggest getting post-dated checks for the entire season upfront. Avoid as many problems as possible.

Steve

11-21-2011, 12:12 PM

The other thing to consider is that it seems the bi-weekly customers are not the ideal ones to have. Those are the ones you accept early on in your business but most get away from them and move to weekly customers later.

Bi-weekly customers also have a tendency to be the bigger complainers than the weekly ones.

Maybe with the new year, you will be reaching out to more weekly customers? I don't have statistics on this, but it seems it is more difficult to get the customers to change to weekly than it is to find new weekly customers to replace them with.